Facing criticism over delays in military acquisitions, Government on Friday cleared proposals worth over Rs 20,000 crore for the procurement of air defence missile systems for the army and other equipment.

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The approval for the eight regiments of the Quick Reaction-Surface to Air Missiles (QR-SAMs) by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) comes against the backdrop of serious questions raised by former Army Chief Gen VK Singh over 97 per cent obsolescence in the air defence systems.

The other significant projects cleared by the meeting headed by Defence Minister AK Antony include IAF proposals worth over Rs 8,500 crore for procuring 14 Dornier aircraft and setting up a nationwide communication network and guns for navy and the coast guard ships, defence sources said here.

Approval for procuring eight regiments of QR-SAMs worth over Rs 10,000 crore was accorded in the meeting of which three would be procured during the ongoing 12th Defence Plan, they said.

The army will now issue a global request for proposal for procuring these missiles to replace the Russian-origin Kvadrats and the likely contenders in this project include American Raytheon, Israeli Rafael and French MBDA.

DRDO is also planning to co-develop similar QR-SAMs with the French government but the agreement has not yet come through between the two sides.

On the IAF proposals, sources said after the success of the pilot project of the Air Force Network (AFNET), it will be implemented as a nation-wide network at the cost of Rs 7000 crore.

Proposals of the Navy and the Coast Guard to procure 30 mm guns for their warships were also approved in the meeting, they said.

The Indian government has cleared the way for a massive procurement effort for quick-reaction surface-to-air missiles (QR-SAMs) to arm eight air defence regiments of the Indian Army. The missiles are intended to replace obsolete Soviet air defence systems, most of which are unserviceable anyway.

As I reported a year ago, MBDA will be pitching the in-development Indo-French joint short-range surface to air missile (SR-SAM) or Maitri for the competition, in the hope that "enhanced synergies" will see a concept weapon get its big break even before its fully operational. It is not clear if MBDA will field any other product. I hear that MBDA has competition from the Rafael-IAI SpyDer, an upgraded version of Raytheon's MIM-32 Hawk or modified SLAMRAAM and the Russian TOR M1 9M330.

The Army, as I reported a year ago, is looking for a QR-SAM system with a reaction time of six seconds or less, with an engagement range of 9-15 km at altitudes of not less than 6 km. It's looking for a weapon that delivers a single shot kill probability (SSKP) of at least 70% for a single missile fired, and 85% for a salvo shot involving two missiles. The missile also needs to be able to threats moving at speeds ranging from 0 km/h (a hovering helicopter) to 500 m/s on fast jets. The Army is hoping for systems that deploy missiles that have ECCM capabilities and compatibility with vehicles currently in use.

For ages I have been hearing about this Maitri project and at last some development before I die. Better late then never, but even this time it is an international JV, Wonder what would be its guidance system.

The Ministry of Defence is set to clear a Rs 12,000-crore proposal of the Indian Army to procure new generation air defence missiles to replace its ageing Russian systems. A boost for the transport wing of the Indian Air Force is also on the cards with the purchase of an additional 14 Dornier aircraft likely to be given the go-ahead on Thursday.

The Army is seeking to procure eight regiments of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles (QRSAMs) to replace the Russian Kvadrat systems that have reached obsolescence. Sources said the proposal was set to be given a go-ahead by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) that is meeting on Thursday.

After a clearance by the DAC, the Army will float a global tender to purchase the systems. The Rs 12,000-crore tag makes it one of the largest-ever global contracts floated by the Army. Defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) will be the designated partner agency for the maintenance transfer of technology that will be required in the contract.

The DAC is also likely to give the go-ahead for 14 additional Dornier transport aircraft for the IAF that will boost its fleet level up from the current 41. The aircraft â€” used in light transport or personnel carrier roles â€” will be procured from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at a cost of over Rs 1,000 crore.

A go-ahead for the procurement of the QRSAMs will come as a major relief for the Army that is struggling with an obsolete air defence network. This is the second time in the last five years that the Army will try to obtain the systems after the indigenous Akash systems as well as an earlier round of procurement failed to meet its requirements.

Earlier this year, the Army had floated a â€˜request for informationâ€™ for the systems that was responded to by most global missile manufacturers. It is looking for a quick reaction system that can engage targets at a range of 15 km at a minimum altitude of 6,000 metres in under six seconds.

What a "misleading" headlines to the news article.. The MOD has not cleared any deal but just agreed for the RFP to be issued. The deal would take at least 5 years to be approved should it ever be approved at all. The Indian army has issued RFP for everything, from artillery to helicopters, but hardly is allowed to buy anything.